Seth Briskin

When Seth Briskin arrived in Cleveland for law school at Case Western Reserve University in 1992, he quickly learned that getting involved in the community was the best path to making Northeast Ohio his home.

“I’ve lived in lots of cities and by far Cleveland is the most philanthropic, caring, giving community I have ever lived in,” said Briskin, chair of the labor and employment group at Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis.

Briskin grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and became interested in labor relations and employment law while attending the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

“People just fascinate me,” Briskin said. “Technology changes over time, business evolves some, but people will always surprise you.”

Briskin has worked at Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis for 11 years. He remains actively involved with the Cleveland Leadership Center and Cleveland Bridge Builders. He is the immediate past president of AJC Cleveland and continues to serve on its executive board. Briskin said he is specifically interested in serving the Jewish community because he wants to improve the world for his Jewish children.

“There is a very scary rise of anti-Semitism going on, not just in this country, but in Europe and other places where I have family,” Briskin said. “I don’t want to live in a world where I have to think twice about taking my family to visit their very close cousins in France.”

Volunteering also helps Briskin learn about the Cleveland Jewish community and become inspired by others working hard to make Northeast Ohio, the country and the world a better place.

“My advice to transplants is get involved, get involved in the nonprofit community, the philanthropic community, and that will open up so many new relationships and opportunities,” Briskin said. “While networking shouldn’t be your first, second or third motive for getting involved, it does assist with getting connected and helping the community succeed.”

Noteworthy: Briskin was selected for Crain’s Cleveland’s “40 under 40” and is an Ohio Super Lawyer.

“The concept of tikkun olam is present in every fiber of Seth’s being and the Northeast Ohio Jewish community and a diverse, multicultural cross-section of Greater Cleveland are profoundly better off as a result.”